Laparoscopic surgery is a procedure in which surgical instruments and a viewing scope, referred to generally as an endoscope and more specifically as a laparoscope, are inserted through small puncture wounds or incisions into the abdominal cavity of a patient. A small video camera is attached to the laparoscope and connected to a television monitor for viewing the procedure. The instruments and the laparoscope may be inserted through cannulae, which are first inserted through the incisions. The cannulae allow the instruments and the scope to be removed and reinserted as necessary. The viewing laparoscope may be inserted through a cannula, which is usually inserted through an incision made in the umbilicus. The scope is then directed towards the pelvis for pelvic surgery or towards the liver for gallbladder surgery.
Instrument-supporting apparatuses have been developed that support such surgical instruments or viewing scopes. Examples of such apparatuses are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,423 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2006/0079864. The instrument-supporting apparatuses must be securely fastened to the frame of the surgical support, which frame may be some form of rail that extends along a side of a surgical platform. It is desirable to have a rail grip, also referred to as a base-clamp assembly that may be rapidly and easily secured to or removed from the rail.